Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Saint Mary's (Stanford Classic)
'Cats Light Up St. Mary's, 16-0
3/24/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 24, 2005
Box Score
PALO ALTO, Calif. -- Northwestern rebounded from a tough loss to UNLV earlier in the day to pound St. Mary's, 16-0, in five innings Thursday afternoon at the Stanford Tournament.
The Northwestern (16-8) offense exploded in the third inning. Freshman Darcy Sengewald (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln Way East) drew a lead-off walk, then was safe at second after a throwing error on a fielder's choice hit by sophomore Katie Logan (Tempe, Ariz./Corona del Sol). Senior Erin Mobley (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill) loaded the bases with a single to second base.
Junor Sheila McCorkle (Costa Mesa, Calif./Mater Dei) brought in Sengewald with a sacrifice fly to center, then a single by freshman Stephanie Churchwell (Lake Forest, Calif./El Toro) made the score 2-0 when Logan crossed the plate. Junior Jamie Dotson (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill) made it 4-0 with a double to left center.
After sophomore Garland Cooper (Mission Viejo, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic) got aboard with a rocket single to shortstop, junior Kristen Amegin (Sacramento, Calif./Elk Grove) hit a rope over the centerfield wall for her eighth home run of the season to give NU a 7-0 lead before the end of the inning. Scoring on the play was junior Ashley Crane (Sammamish, Wash./Eastlake), who pinch-ran for Dotson and stayed in the game to play second base.
The blast gave Amegin 19 for her career, leaving her just one short of tying the all-time home run record at Northwestern.
The Wildcats added another run in top of the fourth when Dotson hit a two-out double that scored Logan. In the ensuing confusion after the play at the plate, Mobley was thrown out trying to sneak home to end the inning.
In the top of the fifth, the Wildcats tacked on another eight runs. Sophomore Jessica Miller (Elberfeld, Ind./Techumseh) launched her first career home run to drive in three and give NU an 11-0 lead. Cooper and Crane were on base following a single and a walk.
Prior to her homer, Miller had six career hits and all of them had been doubles. She has yet to get a hit in her time at NU for other than extra bases.
Mobley pushed NU's total to 12 runs with an RBI triple after a Logan single, then McCorkle drove in Mobley with a single to give NU 13 runs. After McCorkle singled and Dotson hit her third double of the game, Cooper then put the finishing touches on the game with a three-run home run to make the score 16-0.
Cooper and Dotson each finished with three hits each. The pair both had three RBIs in the game, as did Miller and Amegin. Cooper and Logan both scored three times in the game.
The 16 runs were Northwestern's most in a single game since defeating Purdue, 17-5, on April 14, 2000. The win marks NU's largest margin of victory since an identical 16-0 win over Illinois-Chicago on May 6, 1987.
Junior Courtnay Foster (Tucson, Ariz./Sahuaro) went the distance in the circle for the Wildcats, striking out eight while allowing just two hits. Her record is now 7-4 on the season.
With the loss, St. Mary's record drops to 5-19.
Northwestern returns to action tomorrow, March 25, at 11 a.m. CT against Hawaii. The Wildcats will also have a rematch with No. 6 Stanford on Friday afternoon.
